Seasonal

Laura Gets It

27 November 2009 by Jean Johnson
Healthy, thrifty, delicious, and green. That's the whole point behind measure free. The idea that if we quit being slaves to paint-by-numbers recipes we'll be likely to cook more, eat well, be healthy, and save a bundle on the food bill. So at the end of the day, it's not ...

Frozen Grapes Tide You Over in the Spring

2 May 2008 by Jean Johnson
Where the Heart Is buy Mogambo buy Having the end of last year's grapes in the freezer makes waiting for the spring berries easy. Each grape is like mouthful of world-class sorbet; so flavorful and sweet. Grapes freeze right on their stems. I store mine in big plastic bags, and they ...

Spiced Holiday Fruits

19 December 2007 by Jean Johnson
The Fall buy Here are the stuffed dates I talked about a few posts ago. Also fresh pears and clementines dipped in melted butter and flax meal spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, and allspice with nary a speck of sugar in the mix. Almonds and pomegranate seeds finish this lovely presentation. ...

Freshly Grated Nutmeg Decorates Holiday Java

18 December 2007 by Jean Johnson
Death Defying Acts ipod We in the Pacific Northwest take our java seriously with freshly ground beans that are fairly traded and organically grown. Moonshot trailer I made this fancy-pants cup of joe in my own kitchen with a none too pricey espresso machine. The trick is to steam the milk (that ...

Merry Howdy with Stuffed Medjool Dates

13 December 2007 by Jean Johnson
I hope you have enjoyed some baked pears or at least are planning to. Dates are another way to have your sweets without letting the Sugar Fairy captivate you. My mother stuffed those big medjool dates with cream cheese and pecans. So do I, skipping her last step of rolling ...

This One’s for Ruby

1 November 2007 by Jean Johnson
I can't help thinking of Ruby--the little dust mop kerin terrier who lives next door--when I work with pomegranates. Indeed, once the glistening ruby red seeds are freed from their leathery husks, they do as much to garnish soup, cereal, or warm salad as little Ruby-do does to dazzle her doting ...

Wok Action

15 October 2007 by Jean Johnson
It's mid-October but the kitchen garden still giveth. Today there was broccoli, roasting ears, a couple small lonesome zucchinis, and a cartload of Anaheim chiles. Seemed like dinner to me. All it took was a douse of water (which in truth was some cinnamon tea left in the teapot) in ...

Warm Salad with Cucumbers for Mid-September

23 September 2007 by Jean Johnson
Salome release Cucumbers have about lost their appeal this time of year when the winter squashes are starting to appear. It's the same with raw tomatoes. The temperatures are dropping, and we want food with a bit of warmth to it. That said the cukes and tomatoes are still around and ...

Winter Squash 101

8 September 2007 by Jean Johnson
.!.No inclination for a photo here since we are well ahead of the winter squash curve. Still I've heard from two folks recently that prompted this post. 1) Winter squashes are any hardshell varieties, spaghetti squash included. You do not have to refrigerate this critters as they are good keepers--as in ...